6

An officer in the guards division of which Higekuro was the com-mander, Kashiwagi was constantly being summoned for solemn confer-ences and had presented Higekuro's suit to To~ no Chu~jo~. Higekuro was a man of the finest character, certain to become one of the most important statesmen in the land. Though To~ no Chu~jo~ did not think that Tamakazura was likely to do better, he would defer to Genji's wishes. Genji must have his reasons, some of them, perhaps, of a highly personal nature.

Higekuro was the crown prince's maternal uncle, lower in the royal esteem only than Genji and To~ no Chu~jo~. In his early thirties, he was married to the eldest daughter of Prince Hyo~bu and so was Murasaki's brother-in-law. It need not have been cause for embarrassment that his wife was three or four years his senior, but for some reason he had never been really fond of her. He called her “the old woman” and would have been happy enough to divorce her. It was for this reason, perhaps, that Genji did not welcome his suit and thought that Tamakazura would be making a mistake to encourage it. Higekuro was not of an amorous nature and no scandal had been associated with his name; but now he had lost his senses over Tamakazura. To~ no Chu~jo~ did not think him at all beneath contempt and Tamakazura did not seem enthusiastic about going to court. Higekuro had a good informant who kept him apprised of these matters in considerable detail.

“Genji does not seem to like me,” he said to Bennomoto, one of her women, who had become his agent. “We must see that the wishes of her real father are respected.”